Janice Lyle, Fiber Artist
My name is Janice Lyle and I live in Barnes, Pennsylvania. I am wife to Kurt, mother to Ethan, Carrie, and Melanie, and gramma to six grandchildren, three boys and three girls, ages 13 to 1. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy “making things,” from weaving potholders and sewing doll clothes, to Halloween costumes, prom gowns and curtains. I have found it a challenge to make “something from nothing” and enjoy restoring/refinishing furniture, touching up torn paintings, repairing chips in crockery, painting found items, and reusing and repurposing fabric and other items. I think this must be a credit to my Depression-era raised parents, who were very good at this and were examples of “eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Other than a few painting classes, my “art” education is from library books and trial and error. My occupation is social worker at Warren State Hospital and I believe that creative expression helps keep us all in good mental health. My current interest is in fiber arts and I have been doing hooking with wool to make rugs and pillows, sewing purses from recycled sweaters and braiding rugs. Much of my material is recycled and this fits well with my interest in giving things a second chance.